Written Answers Thursday 1 July 2010

Scottish Executive

Antisocial Behaviour

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to combat antisocial behaviour in Glasgow.

Fergus Ewing: We are pursuing the policies I outlined earlier today.

  I am sure that the member will welcome, as I do, the CashBack funded "Jump2It" programme for basketball in primary schools. The programme ran in 37 primary schools in the east end of Glasgow for 3,400 pupils, including every primary school in the Shettleston area last year.

British-Irish Council

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will report on the outcome of the June 2010 British-Irish Council summit.

Fiona Hyslop: On 25 June, the States of Guernsey hosted the fourteenth Summit meeting of the British-Irish Council, attended by ministers from all eight member administrations. The summit began with a very useful discussion on the global financial situation and on the measures being taken by members to best position their economies for recovery.

  The main theme of the summit was Marine Renewable Energy, the workstream for which is led by Scotland. The council discussed the ongoing activity of the workstream as well as looking towards areas for future co-operation and growth in this sector. This included the continued exchange of best practice on marine environment and research issues and the identification of key opportunities for ongoing collaboration across administrations. The council also agreed the importance of involving the European Commission in future discussions.

  Given the importance of the significant wave and tidal resources of BIC member administrations and the opportunities for the growth and competitiveness of this sector, it was apt that the council’s discussions came only a day after the States of Guernsey and the Scottish Government hosted a conference, held on Guernsey.

  The seminar involved a number of key players from the Scottish wave and tidal sector sharing their experiences and lessons learned with developers and industry representatives from across the Channel Islands as well as members of the marine energy sub-group.

  I am pleased to say that the council also agreed that the standing secretariat of the council should be located in Scotland. We are delighted that we will host this new base for co-ordinating and planning the future work of the council, and are committed to working with all member administrations to ensure its successful and early establishment.

  As with previous summits, the meeting received progress reports and agreed a plan for future work on the other subjects currently being taken forward by council members. These are drugs misuse; demography; digital inclusion; the environment; energy, both grid infrastructure and marine renewables; collaborative spatial planning; early years; indigenous, minority and lesser-used languages; transport, and social inclusion.

  I am placing a copy of the Official Communiqué that was issued by the British-Irish Council after the meeting in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. (Bib. number 51233).

Concessionary Travel

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many concessionary bus passes have been issued in each year since the scheme commenced, broken down by (a) eligible group, (b) cost to the taxpayer and (c) number of journeys undertaken in each case.

Stewart Stevenson: Information made available to Transport Scotland indicates that the following valid National Entitlement Cards were in circulation giving access to Scotland-wide Free Bus Travel for Older and Disabled People as of the specific dates. This information was obtained from the Local Authority Card Management System.

  NECs Issued Allowing Access to Concessionary Travel

  

Category of Eligibility
23 June 2006
1 May 2007
8 April 2008
27 February 2009
10 June 2010


60+
767,555
850,890
926,726
957,852
1,003,065


Disabled
48,855
55,749
59,366
55,737
172,787*


Disabled + Companion
66,306
80,082
88,255
93,005


Visually Impaired
6,457
5,257
5,179
4,980


Visually Impaired + Companion
9,192
9,876
11,466
11,272


Total
898,365
1,001,854
1,090,992
1,122,846
1,175,852



  Note: * Due to development work being undertaken with the local authority card management system, we are currently unable to obtain more recent figures broken down by disability type.

  From figures held by Transport Scotland, as at 2009-10 year end, the number of journeys made each year, and the subsequent reimbursement costs to operators are as follows.

  

Year
Journeys
Reimbursement


2006-07
155.7m
£153.4m


2007-08
158.7m
£163m


2008-09
156.9m
£179.7m


2009-10
151.2m
£186.8m

Digital Technology

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on broadband support in areas under the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP) and when details of delivery will be announced.

Richard Lochhead: I am pleased to announce today that a new Challenge Fund will deliver support for rural broadband solutions through the LEADER network in Scotland.

  This will deliver one million euros of much needed support for broadband projects in rural areas and help towards economic recovery.

  The new investment that will be delivered through the LEADER network will support small-scale, community driven projects in rural areas and is aimed at improving coverage and bringing faster broadband to rural communities.

  This means that communities will have the opportunity to define their own broadband needs and develop a project which meets these needs. The LEADER Local Action Groups, with technical assistance, will then assess the merits of the applications for that area and bid for funding to the Challenge Fund.

  Local Action Groups will be invited to bid to the Challenge Fund by 24 September 2010. The deadline set for submission of applications to Local Action.

  Groups will be for them to determine locally, but we are keen to move this forward.

  This process will streamline applications and allow bids to be made to the Challenge Fund in late September so that the funding can be delivered at a time of economic need.

  I recognise that there are different broadband support needs and solutions across Scotland and believe that the Local Action Group network across Scotland is best placed to assess these local needs.

  This will deliver support from the SRDP in a way that is flexible but also focused and I am delighted to be able to announce a way forward for Rural Communities and broadband.

Drug Misuse

Ian McKee (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the interim Process Evaluation of the Drug Treatment and Testing Orders II Pilot.

Fergus Ewing: The interim Process Evaluation of the Drug Treatment and Testing Order II (DTTO II) Pilot in the Lothian and Borders Community Justice Authority has been published today on the Scottish Government website.

  The evaluation provides indicative evidence of the positive role that DTTO IIs can play in helping offenders, in particular women, to achieve a reduction in drug misuse, greater stability in living arrangements and move towards entry into employment, education and training.

  That is why I have decided to extend funding in the pilot area until the end of March 2012. Continued funding will provide an opportunity to build on the pilot’s success by collecting longer term monitoring data for a larger sample of clients. Some of the data collected will contribute to a wider review which we are undertaking on the effectiveness of interventions for offenders with drug problems in the criminal justice system. That review will conclude early next year.

  Proposals under the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Bill introduce a new Community Payback Order (CPO). This will provide sentencers with a menu of options including a drug treatment requirement. We will promote use of the CPO with a drug treatment requirement for women offenders who have drug-related offending issues.

Finance

Joe FitzPatrick (Dundee West) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the financial results were of the accelerated capital programme undertaken in 2009-10.

John Swinney: The accelerated capital programme is a central element in the Government’s Economic Recovery Plan, helping to support over 5000 jobs in the Scottish Economy. In 2009-10, £292.5 million of capital spending was accelerated from this year’s Budget.

  In 2009-10, £292.5 of capital spending was delivered through the accelerated capital programme, representing 100% of planned spend.

  As part of the programme:

  local authorities invested £90 million to accelerate a range of capital spending programmes across 32 local authorities;

  the Scottish Government invested £24.5 million to deliver road improvements and enhanced park-and-ride facilities to cut congestion;

  £18.6 million was provided for infrastructure improvements for colleges and universities, and

  Scottish Enterprise accelerated £30 million of investment in key projects to deliver wider benefits to the Scottish economy.

  Details of the outturn capital spend in each portfolio are shown in the following table:

  

Portfolio
Programme
Annual Budget
Outturn
Variance


Finance and Sustainable Growth
Major and Smaller Roads Schemes
23.9
23.9
0.0


 
Strategic Park and Ride
5.0
5.0
0.0


 
Enterprise Agencies
30.0
30.0
0.0


F&SG Total 
 
58.9
58.9
(0.0)


Health and Wellbeing
Affordable Housing Investment Programme
10.0
10.0
0.0


 
Housing and Regeneration - Fuel Poverty
5.0
5.0
0.0


 
Town Centre Regeneration Fund
60.0
60.0
0.0


 
NHS
50.0
50.0
0.0


H&W Total 
 
125.0
125.0
0.0


Education and Lifelong Learning
Further and Higher Education
18.6
18.6
0.0


E&LL Total 
 
18.6
18.6
0.0


Local Government
Local Authorities including Schools Estate
90.0
90.0
0.0


LG Total
 
90.0
90.0
0.0


Total Capital Acceleration
 
292.5
292.5
(0.0)

Health

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will approve the prescribing of the drug dronedarone.

Shona Robison: Dronedarone (Multaq), used in the treatment of atrial fibrillation, has been scheduled for review by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) on 3 August 2010. The SMC advice is expected to be available on 13 September 2010. As a licensed drug, dronedarone can be prescribed if it is considered to be the best treatment for an individual patient. However, we would expect clinicians to await SMC advice before making dronedarone routinely available on the NHS in Scotland. If clinicians wish to pursue the use of a medicine before the SMC advice is available they should do so via their local systems as explained in the guidance document CEL 17 (2010). This guidance on the introduction and availability of newly licensed medicines in the NHS in Scotland was issued by the Scottish Government on 17 May 2010 and can be accessed at:

  http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/publications/publication.asp.

Influenza

Michael Matheson (Falkirk West) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the report of the review of the UK response to the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) pandemic will be published.

Nicola Sturgeon: The report of the Independent Review of the Government Response to the 2009 H1N1 Pandemic will be published today.

  The review was jointly commissioned, and the chair appointed, by all four UK Health Ministers in March 2010. Dame Deirdre Hine chaired the review.

  The four UK Health Ministers set up this Independent Review with a remit to review the appropriateness and effectiveness of the UK strategy for responding domestically to the swine flu pandemic, and make recommendations for any future influenza pandemic.

  I would like to thank Dame Deidre Hine and her team for their work and I welcome her report and recommendations. I will take these into consideration when reviewing our future pandemic plans in the Scottish Framework For Responding To An Influenza Pandemic.

  Copies of the report are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib Number 51190).

Marine (Scotland) Act 2010

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many licensing applications it anticipates will require processing annually for the killing of seals under the provisions of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010.

Richard Lochhead: The new seal licence system to be introduced under the provisions of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 is based on applications received from fisheries or fish farms. Such applications may be submitted either by individual fisheries or fish farms or by a group. It is therefore not possible at this early stage to anticipate how many applications are likely to be received and require processing.

Ministerial Meetings

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met representatives of Moray Council to discuss issues regarding rural affairs.

Richard Lochhead: Ministers have had regular meetings with representatives of Moray Council to discuss a range of issues, including many that touch upon rural matters.

NHS Hospitals

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many beds were available for children at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children (Yorkhill) in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10 and how many will be available in 2010-11.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) beds were removed and (b) wards were reconfigured at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children (Yorkhill) in 2009-10 and what the numbers will be in 2010-11.

Nicola Sturgeon: The information is presented in the following table. It is important to note the context for the changes in bed numbers: increasingly, for both children and adults, clinical care and treatment is provided on a day care basis. This reduces the need for a stay in hospital which is better for patients and, in particular, children. Indeed, between 2006-07 and 2009-10, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde report that day case attendances at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children (excluding psychiatry) increased from 8,191 to 10,246: a rise of 25.1%. As such, the move towards increased usage of day care at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow has led to a reduced need for inpatient beds.

  Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow: Bed Numbers

  

 
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11


Ward 1a
22
22
22
22


Ward 3a
24
24
24
24


Ward 4a
24
24
24
24


Ward 4b
24
24
24
24


Ward 5a
18
18
18
24


Ward 6a
8
8
8
8


Ward 6b
24
24
24
-


Ward 7a
24
24
18
18


Ward 7b
24
23
23
23


Paediatric Intensive Care Unit
16
16
16
16


High Dependency Unit
6
6
6
6


Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
23
33
33
33


Child Psychiatry
9
9
9
9


Institute of Neurosciences
6
6
6
6


Total
252
261
255
237



  Source: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

NHS Hospitals

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many beds will be available for children at the new Southern General Hospital.

Nicola Sturgeon: According to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, their bed model projects (on a like-for-like basis) that there will be 201 beds available at the new Children’s Hospital.

  In addition to these, 12 neonatal beds will transfer to the new Maternity Hospital. Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s bed model reflects the continuing commitment to increased day care provision, reducing the need for a hospital stay which benefits all patients and, in particular, children.

NHS Staff

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take to ensure that NHS boards adopt and implement the recommendations of the Audit Scotland report, Using locum doctors in hospitals , and in what timescale this will be carried out.

Nicola Sturgeon: Arrangements for the use of temporary medical staff have been under consideration by a Scottish Government-led Short Life Working Group, established in February 2010. The group is consulting NHS boards on proposals for reducing demand for temporary medical staff and, where their use is necessary, ensuring that they provide high quality care at an affordable price. In addition to the Short Life Working Group, an overarching national group is being convened to support NHS boards in managing all temporary staff groups and ensure implementation of the recommendations from the Audit Scotland report.

NHS Staff

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what actions it takes to ensure that all NHS boards carry out pre-employment checks prior to employing agency locums.

Nicola Sturgeon: The responsibility for ensuring that pre-employment checks are undertaken on all staff working in NHSScotland is for the employing NHS board. The Partnership Information Network (PIN) Policy Safer Pre and Post Employment Checks , published in December 2007, is mandatory for all NHS boards and describes procedures for the entry of staff into NHSScotland, irrespective of source including employees, volunteers, students, trainees, secondees, agency, and locum staff.

  In March 2010, we reminded NHS boards of the need to comply with the existing Code of Practice on the use of medical locums, which includes provisions relating to pre-employment checks.

  In consultation with key stakeholders, we are reviewing the existing pre-employment arrangements for medical locums in the light of the findings of the Audit Scotland report "Using locum doctors in hospitals", to determine what further improvements may be necessary.

NHS Staff

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason demand for agency locums more than doubled between 2007 and 2009.

Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-34600 on 28 June 2010. All the answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Roads

Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it estimates work will start on the construction of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route and in what year it now expects the project to be completed.

Stewart Stevenson: I anticipate that the legal challenges submitted to the Court of Session will cause significant delay to the construction of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route. Until the challenges are heard in Court and resolved we cannot be precise about the impact on the project timetable.

Roads

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-7246 by Stewart Stevenson on 13 December 2007 and in light of the feasibility study carried out by Transport Scotland, whether a decision has been made on the possibility of introducing hard shoulder running.

Stewart Stevenson: Intervention 9 of the Scottish Government’s Strategic Transport Projects Review ( http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/stpr ) has recommended using Intelligent Transport Systems on the most congested parts of the road network to enhance capacity and operations. This can include hard shoulder running.

  We have completed a technical feasibility study for a pilot project for bus hard shoulder running on an 8km stretch of the northbound M77 between J4 and J1 in the morning peak period.

  Subject to funding pressures, we shall take forward the project to a detailed design phase over the coming months.

  We are also developing route strategies for the Forth Replacement Crossing and its approaches, the M8 and A720, and the remaining sections of the M74 and M80 (towards Glasgow). Hard shoulder running may also be appropriate at these locations.

Rural Affairs

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-33959 and S3W-33960 by Richard Lochhead on 18 June 2010, when it instructed the provision of the IT reports to provide a regional breakdown of Rural Development Contracts - Rural Priorities scheme payments and contracts; when the information on the regional breakdown will be made available to it, and when the information will be made available to the public.

Richard Lochhead: The request for a suite of IT reports, including the regional breakdown of Rural Development Contracts - Rural Priorities scheme payments and contracts, was issued on 26 November 2009.

  IT staff have been developing and testing the first batches of these reports, with a number already in production. The regional breakdown information will be available in two stages. Initial reports on contract awards are scheduled to be in production from 16 August, and publically available on the SRDP website by 31 August. Reports on claims paid are scheduled to be published on the SRDP website at the end of each financial quarter for the previous financial quarter, commencing on 30 September.